Drink blending machines have become very popular and have gained wide acceptance in the restaurant and bar industries. During a mixing process, these drink blending machines are used to create slush-like drinks commonly referred to as “frozen” drinks, which are very popular beverages among today's consumers.
Drink blending machines generally include an ice shaving unit used in conjunction with a blending assembly. The ice shaving unit serves as an ice dispenser for dispensing a portion of ice into a blender pitcher used as part of the blending assembly. A portion of liquid, which often includes an alcoholic beverage, is also provided in the blender pitcher. To facilitate the mixing of the liquid and ice to create above-discussed slush-like drinks, the blending assembly rotates a blending blade provided in the blender pitcher.
The blender pitcher has an open end adapted to receive a lid which prevents liquid and ice from escaping the blender pitcher during the mixing process. In the past, the lid typically included a slot adapted to receive an ice chute extending downwardly from the ice shaving unit. The ice chute provides a pathway from the ice shaving unit into the blender pitcher for the ice to travel. As such, the lid allows a portion of ice (via the ice chute) to travel into the blender pitcher through the slot, while, simultaneously, preventing liquid and ice from escaping the blender pitcher during the mixing process.
However, because the space underneath the ice chute on the drink blending machine has fixed dimensions, the blender pitcher must have had the necessary vertical height to allow the ice chute to extend into the open end of the blender pitcher through the slot provided in the lid. That is, the blender pitcher must have been tall enough to allow the ice chute to be properly located relative to the open end of the blender pitcher.
To save time during the mixing process by eliminating the need to remove and replace the lid on the open end of the blender pitcher, an ice shield attached to the ice chute has been substituted for the above-discussed lid. For example, when using the lid, it was necessary to remove the lid from the blender pitcher after the mixing process was complete to allow the slush-like drinks to be poured into a serving container. Afterwards, the lid would have had to be replaced on the pitcher to allow its further use on the drink blending machine.
To decrease the time intervals between uses of the drink blending machine, the need to remove and replace the lid was eliminated through use of a splash shield. The splash shield is pivotably attached to the ice chute, and is sized to cover the open end of the blender pitcher. When positioned proximate the open end of the blender pitcher, the splash shield prevents liquid and ice from escaping the blender pitcher during the mixing process.
When the blender pitcher is being positioned on the drink blending machine, the splash shield initially swings upwardly to accommodate the blender pitcher. Thereafter, when the blender pitcher is located on the drink blending machine, the splash shield swings downwardly to rest proximate the open end of the blender pitcher. Again, because the space underneath the ice chute on the drink blending machine has fixed dimensions, the blender pitcher must have had the necessary vertical height to allow the ice chute to be received in, and the splash shield to be positioned proximate to, the open end of the blender pitcher.
Therefore, whether using a blender pitcher with or without a lid, the blender pitcher was previously required to have a vertical height tall enough to position the ice chute within its open end. Blender pitchers having tall vertical heights may not have the ideal dimensions for all blending applications. For example, such blender pitchers generally have relatively small interior dimensions adjacent the blending blade. However, blender pitchers having larger interior dimensions allow for a larger blending blade, and greater amounts of liquid and ice to be provided around the cutting plane of the blending blade.
Depending on the working medium (i.e. the liquid and ice to be mixed in the blender pitcher), blender pitchers having larger interior dimensions provide better results during the mixing process. To avoid being unwieldy, however, blender pitchers having larger interior dimensions are by necessity shorter than the blender pitchers described above. Furthermore, these shorter blender pitchers having larger interior dimensions ideally have substantially square cross-sections, where their vertical walls are oriented adjacent one another at approximately ninety degrees. As such, these shorter square cross-sectioned blender pitchers are configured to allow a greater amount of working medium to be provided around the cutting plane of the blending blade, and, simultaneously, to direct the working medium impinging on their the vertical walls back through the cutting plane. The use of these shorter square cross-sectioned blender pitchers may provide better results during the mixing process.
Therefore, there is the desire to use the shorter square cross-sectioned blender pitchers in conjunction with the above-described drink blending machine, and there is a need for a container adapter to facilitate such use. The container adapter should be capable of raising the effective vertical height of the shorter square cross-sectioned blender pitchers to allow for the ice chute to be received in, and the splash shield to be positioned proximate, the open end thereof, while, simultaneously, providing an integral pouring spout to easily pour the working medium from the blender pitcher after the mixing process is complete.